"Mm!"
Kotaro nodded, looking towards the port and stepping inside. "Let's go! I'll be relying on you from now on. You can start filming."
Kotaro actually had a decent impression of Morgans.
In a world dominated by the World Government and Celestial Dragons, few dared to report the truth.
Although he was one of the kings of the underworld, his actions were not dark. Instead, he often clashed with the World Government to report the truth.
He was a true journalist.
"Oh, right."
Just then, Kotaro suddenly stopped and turned to look at Morgans, asking, "Morgans, do you know Vegapunk's whereabouts?"
"Vegapunk?"
Morgans, who was excitedly pulling out a Den Den Mushi camera from his pocket, paused slightly. Then, he looked up at Kotaro and asked doubtfully, "Mr. Kotaro, may I ask why you are looking for Vegapunk?"
"It's nothing much, I just want to get some technology from him."
"Technology?"
Morgans lowered his head and pondered.
He did know Vegapunk's location, but that was a secret even within the World Government, which made him hesitate.
"What?"
Kotaro looked at Morgans, his tone becoming slightly cold. "Is it difficult?"
Sensing the change in Kotaro's tone, Morgans snapped back to attention. What was the World Government compared to this man who dared to kill Celestial Dragons?
Though he didn't think Kotaro would kill him, it was impossible not to feel intimidated when facing such a powerful figure.
One shouldn't assume Kotaro was easy to deal with just because he greeted him with a smile.
The pirates he had sunk along the way could fill this entire port.
So, Morgans looked up and quickly replied, "I do know Vegapunk's whereabouts. He is on Egghead Island."
"Egghead Island?"
"Mm!"
Morgans nodded and said, "Besides the World Government and the Navy, I might be the only one in this world who knows where he is. After all, although he is well hidden, one cannot follow the world's situation without reading the newspaper."
He then looked up with confidence and continued, "As long as one buys the newspaper, they cannot escape my eyes."
"A year ago, after Vegapunk left Punk Hazard, he was sent to Egghead Island by the Navy and the World Government."
"Oh? Since you know, you must have a sea chart to Egghead Island."
Kotaro's tone returned to gentleness, which made Morgans breathe a sigh of relief.
He nodded and took a map from his pocket, handing it to Kotaro. "This is a map drawn by our World Economic News society. It may not cover all the islands in the New World, but most of them can be found on here."
Kotaro took the map, glanced at it, and then put it away.
This was a treasure. The map drawn on it was much more detailed than the common maps he had.
"Thank you."
Kotaro thanked Morgans and then turned, walking towards the street ahead.
The moment they stepped onto the street, Kotaro and the others were captivated by the lively sounds all around.
The street was filled with the fragrance of flowers. Young men and women were kissing freely in the street corners, and there were many beautiful dancers in revealing long dresses.
Of course, there were also toys, holding weapons and patrolling to maintain order.
"These toys."
Kuina, watching a toy soldier walk past, her eyes flashed with curiosity. She turned her head to Kotaro and asked, "Why do they feel like they have a life of their own? Is it a Devil Fruit ability? How marvelous."
"It is indeed a Devil Fruit ability, but it might be different from what you imagine."
Looking at the toys, Kotaro's eyes held a strange light.
"Different?"
"Mm!" Kotaro nodded, looking at the street, which had not changed at all with their arrival, and said in a deep voice, "These toys do have life, because they are all living people."
"What?"
Everyone was shocked and looked again at the countless toys on the street, their eyes filled with horror.
Behind them, Morgans was also stunned.
He had arrived a day earlier than Kotaro and the others and knew about the toys in Dressrosa.
But he had never imagined that these toys were actually living people.
"Big news, big news, tremendous news!"
With a keen sense, he exchanged a look with the firebird, seeing excitement in each other's eyes.
No wonder Kotaro had asked them to come here.
It turned out there was a huge secret hidden here!
As far as they knew, there were tens of thousands of visible toys in Dressrosa alone.
And what about the hidden ones?
And what kind of vast darkness lay behind all of this?
They did not think Kotaro was lying, because with his current strength, lying or deceiving them was impossible.
Morgans certainly knew whose territory Dressrosa was, and what Doflamingo did.
But he never expected that these thousands of toys were real people.
And looking at the prosperity of the street, the disappearance of so many people had no impact at all. A huge secret must be hidden behind this.
What could it be?
Raising his camera, they began snapping photos of the street.
The happiness they felt now would be contrasted by the darkness later.
Pulling his gaze back, Kuina turned to Kotaro, waiting for further explanation.
Kotaro reached out and ruffled Kuina's hair, then swept his gaze over the three of Ahua and Indigo, before saying, "Do you remember Bass-Bader?"
"Remember."
Everyone nodded.
How could they forget the first island they visited in the Grand Line, the first country they had granted a flag to!
As if she had thought of something, Kuina said solemnly, "Did these toys fall victim to a Devil Fruit ability similar to Bader's Forget-Forget Fruit?"
"Mm!"
Kotaro nodded, then looked towards the highlands in the center of the island and said, "Paramecia-type, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit."
"Hobby-Hobby Fruit."
Morgans put down his camera and, as if recalling something, looked at the toys on the street again, his eyes filled with surprise.
"It seems you know about this fruit."
Hearing Morgans' voice, everyone turned to look at him.
Morgans averted his gaze, glanced at Kotaro, and then explained to everyone, "I do know."
"The Hobby-Hobby Fruit allows the user to turn anyone they touch into a toy as the user desires. The type and appearance of the toy are entirely determined by the user's preferences."
"The size of the target turned into a toy is proportional to their height before being transformed, and people who have a relationship with the target turned into a toy, such as relatives or friends, will lose 'all' memories of the time they spent with the toy."